I've gone through people's picks and added columns to the spreadsheet to say which techs they rejected. I've also recorded rejected traits, but I was more interested in seeing if there were any indications about different starts.
I dunno. Maybe? My ramblings are spoilered for length. There seem to be some weakish picks, and there are a few oddities.
I dunno. Maybe? My ramblings are spoilered for length. There seem to be some weakish picks, and there are a few oddities.
Why did dtay reject the Agri/Wheel Ottomans? Maybe he's already played them? I'd think that they were a strong civ. As said earlier, I find the final myst/hunting pick odd given Agg cheap barracks being available for border pops. Agg/Imp is solid.
Superdeath picked Cha/Pro over Exp/Pro. Hmm. Exp/Pro is perhaps too fast-start heavy. Agri/Fishing is either Ok or excellent depending on start.
Mr Cairo picked a leader we'd have liked to have (Spi/Pro) and Hunting/Mining over Hunting/Wheel (or a gamble). Seems fair enough
Similarly, B4ndit's Cre/Org over Imp/Org immediate pick seems sensible,and Agri/Wheel are decent start techs.
For Rusten, Cha/Imp is OK, and probably better than Fin/Org, but I'd have been tempted to re-roll. Agri/Myst is a little sub-par, but there are worse combos, resourceless camel knights are better than nothing, while better, cheaper libraries are an actual thing. Hmm, they also go well with Cha, so that probably explains that.
Donovan Zoi picked Exp/Fin over Phi/Spi. I think that's pretty fair. Myst/Mining seems weakish again, but - a bit like us - he may have feared getting something worse.
Gavagai - Exp/Org over Imp/Ind. We get his leavings
. He rejected Agri/Wheel and musketeers for a gamble, and got Agri/Wheel and war chariots instead. I think he got a bit lucky there...
GJ started this game by trolling OH and FT - he rejected Exp/Spi. He did so for Imp/Pro though - a strong, fast starting combo. Rejecting Fishing/Myst seems reasonable, and Hunting/Wheel is Ok.
Dreylin had a wierdly matched starting choice - Ind/Org or Ind/Fin. He went with Org, which is probably stronger. Stuck with Fishing/Hunting techs. Looks to me as if Vikings are otherwise heavily nerfed in RtR, so seafood or pigs/cows at start?
OT4E+Chumchu went Ind/Pro over Cre/Pro. That's a little bit interesting. Makes me think they may have some specific wonder plays in mind. They rejected Hunting/Mining and Fishing/Mining before have to settle for - Fishing/Mining (without redcoats too this time). A candidate for a team even less happy than us with their round three luck.
Dark Savant: Exp/Imp over Exp/Phi. Fair enough. Sticking with Fishing/Myst at the start surely indicates seafood, cataphracts or no cataphracts.
2metraninja: Cha/Org over Cha/Phi. I could have been tempted into a re-roll. Also - Hunting/Myst? Pigs, cows or a deep love of whipping at Sacrificial Altars.
Mackoti: rejected Cre, Fin, Ind and Phi in various combos for Imp/Phi. I can kind of see why. Probably happy to have rejected America for France. Expect someone to die from musketeers and knigs.
TBS: Cre/Phi over Fin/Imp, Cha/Fin and Cha/Exp. I'm not usually into second-guessing players of his calibre, but I'd have gone with Vicky on the first round if I'd magically known what the second round was going
AdrienIer rejected FIVE Spi leaders and still got Exp/Pro at the end. We hate him forever
. He didn't get as lucky with his techs, getting three meh sets in a row.
Pindicator: Agg/Org over Imp/Phi, with China's Agri/Mining. Easy picks.
William LP: Agg/Pro over Cre/Ind seems fair. Not sure about the Fishing/Wheel start though. Seafood?
Commodore: Cha/Cre over Fin/Spi. I feel Cha/Cre kind of suits his character. Fishing/Mining implies possible seafood - I can't see him picking Rome for the sake of Praetorian's, particularly without Agg.
naufrager: Rejected Agg/Ind, Ind/Spi (I might let him off for rejecting Spi there - weak combo unless you really want to go full monk with 2/3 everyone else's land) and Fin/Spi to get Imp/Org. Rejected Fishing/Mining for Hunting/Mining. I guess he doesn't have seafood.
plako: Picked Imp/Spi over Cha/Spi, which seems fair, and stuck with Agri/Myst + Terraces. Huh - I'd thought they'd be nerfed in RtR, but they're not (at least not directly - more buildings give culture). I'm not arguing with this pick.
elkad: Agg/Exp over Org/Spi. Unsuprisingly stuck with Agri/Mining.
xenu: Cre/Spi over Cre/Phi. We'd probably have done the same. Stuck with Fishing/Hunting for techs. Seafood?
BGN: Agg/Cha over Cre/Imp. Stuck with Hunting/Mining, which we might have done at our start.
Aretas: Agg/Fin over Cha/Exp - I'd have to think about this one. Hunting/Myst seems weak, but if he does manage to grab land his maintenance costs are going to be super-low with Agg+Rathaus. Throw Fin on top, and if he can find the hammers to build infra he could be a commerce powerhouse. But I think his start is going to be slow.
Superdeath picked Cha/Pro over Exp/Pro. Hmm. Exp/Pro is perhaps too fast-start heavy. Agri/Fishing is either Ok or excellent depending on start.
Mr Cairo picked a leader we'd have liked to have (Spi/Pro) and Hunting/Mining over Hunting/Wheel (or a gamble). Seems fair enough
Similarly, B4ndit's Cre/Org over Imp/Org immediate pick seems sensible,and Agri/Wheel are decent start techs.
For Rusten, Cha/Imp is OK, and probably better than Fin/Org, but I'd have been tempted to re-roll. Agri/Myst is a little sub-par, but there are worse combos, resourceless camel knights are better than nothing, while better, cheaper libraries are an actual thing. Hmm, they also go well with Cha, so that probably explains that.
Donovan Zoi picked Exp/Fin over Phi/Spi. I think that's pretty fair. Myst/Mining seems weakish again, but - a bit like us - he may have feared getting something worse.
Gavagai - Exp/Org over Imp/Ind. We get his leavings
. He rejected Agri/Wheel and musketeers for a gamble, and got Agri/Wheel and war chariots instead. I think he got a bit lucky there...GJ started this game by trolling OH and FT - he rejected Exp/Spi. He did so for Imp/Pro though - a strong, fast starting combo. Rejecting Fishing/Myst seems reasonable, and Hunting/Wheel is Ok.
Dreylin had a wierdly matched starting choice - Ind/Org or Ind/Fin. He went with Org, which is probably stronger. Stuck with Fishing/Hunting techs. Looks to me as if Vikings are otherwise heavily nerfed in RtR, so seafood or pigs/cows at start?
OT4E+Chumchu went Ind/Pro over Cre/Pro. That's a little bit interesting. Makes me think they may have some specific wonder plays in mind. They rejected Hunting/Mining and Fishing/Mining before have to settle for - Fishing/Mining (without redcoats too this time). A candidate for a team even less happy than us with their round three luck.
Dark Savant: Exp/Imp over Exp/Phi. Fair enough. Sticking with Fishing/Myst at the start surely indicates seafood, cataphracts or no cataphracts.
2metraninja: Cha/Org over Cha/Phi. I could have been tempted into a re-roll. Also - Hunting/Myst? Pigs, cows or a deep love of whipping at Sacrificial Altars.
Mackoti: rejected Cre, Fin, Ind and Phi in various combos for Imp/Phi. I can kind of see why. Probably happy to have rejected America for France. Expect someone to die from musketeers and knigs.
TBS: Cre/Phi over Fin/Imp, Cha/Fin and Cha/Exp. I'm not usually into second-guessing players of his calibre, but I'd have gone with Vicky on the first round if I'd magically known what the second round was going
AdrienIer rejected FIVE Spi leaders and still got Exp/Pro at the end. We hate him forever
. He didn't get as lucky with his techs, getting three meh sets in a row.Pindicator: Agg/Org over Imp/Phi, with China's Agri/Mining. Easy picks.
William LP: Agg/Pro over Cre/Ind seems fair. Not sure about the Fishing/Wheel start though. Seafood?
Commodore: Cha/Cre over Fin/Spi. I feel Cha/Cre kind of suits his character. Fishing/Mining implies possible seafood - I can't see him picking Rome for the sake of Praetorian's, particularly without Agg.
naufrager: Rejected Agg/Ind, Ind/Spi (I might let him off for rejecting Spi there - weak combo unless you really want to go full monk with 2/3 everyone else's land) and Fin/Spi to get Imp/Org. Rejected Fishing/Mining for Hunting/Mining. I guess he doesn't have seafood.
plako: Picked Imp/Spi over Cha/Spi, which seems fair, and stuck with Agri/Myst + Terraces. Huh - I'd thought they'd be nerfed in RtR, but they're not (at least not directly - more buildings give culture). I'm not arguing with this pick.
elkad: Agg/Exp over Org/Spi. Unsuprisingly stuck with Agri/Mining.
xenu: Cre/Spi over Cre/Phi. We'd probably have done the same. Stuck with Fishing/Hunting for techs. Seafood?
BGN: Agg/Cha over Cre/Imp. Stuck with Hunting/Mining, which we might have done at our start.
Aretas: Agg/Fin over Cha/Exp - I'd have to think about this one. Hunting/Myst seems weak, but if he does manage to grab land his maintenance costs are going to be super-low with Agg+Rathaus. Throw Fin on top, and if he can find the hammers to build infra he could be a commerce powerhouse. But I think his start is going to be slow.
It may have looked easy, but that is because it was done correctly - Brian Moore